Foldable electronic device

ABSTRACT

A foldable electronic device is provided. The foldable electronic device includes a hinge structure, a foldable housing, a flexible display disposed inside the foldable housing, a first flexible connection member, a second flexible connection member, an adhesive member attached to the first flexible connection member. The foldable housing includes a first housing structure and a second housing structure. The first housing structure includes a first surface, a second surface, and a first printed circuit board. The second housing structure includes a third surface, a fourth surface, and a second printed circuit board.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0015922, filed on Feb. 10,2020, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The present disclosure relates generally to a flexible circuit boarddisposed in a foldable electronic device.

2. Description of Related Art

As the degree of integration of electronic devices has increased andsuper-high-speed and large-capacity radio frequency (RF) communicationhas become popular, multiple functions have recently come to be providedin a single electronic device, such as a mobile communication terminal.For example, various functions, such as an entertainment function (e.g.,a game function), a multimedia function (e.g., a music/videoreproduction function), a communication and security function for mobilebanking, a schedule management function, an e-wallet function may, and acommunication function may be integrated in a single electronic device.In addition, electronic devices are increasingly equipped with widerdisplay panels so that users have less inconvenience using multimediaservices.

Foldable electronic devices with flexible display panels have beenrecently developed. A foldable electronic device may refer to anelectronic device that includes a plurality of housing structures, whichrotate with respect to each other.

Circuit boards disposed in electronic devices may be divided into rigidcircuit boards and flexible circuit boards according to physicalcharacteristics related to the flexibility thereof. A rigid-flexiblecircuit board (hereinafter referred to as a “flexible circuit board”) inwhich a rigid circuit board and a flexible circuit board are combinedmay be provided so as to increase the reliability of an electricalconnection of an electronic device and to implement three-dimensionalwiring.

Since the commercialization of fourth generation (4G) communicationsystems, in order to meet the increasing demand for wireless datatraffic, fifth generation (5G) communication systems have been activelydeveloped and distributed. In order to achieve a high data rate, the 5Gcommunication systems use an ultra-high frequency of several tens ofgigahertz (GHz) or more (or referred to as “mmWave communication”).However, in an electronic device including an ultra-high frequencycommunication module, performance exhibited by the communication modulemay be affected by a path (e.g., a wire) through which a communicationsignal is transmitted due to high frequency characteristics.

Accordingly, for foldable electronic devices, it may be necessary toprovide a flexible circuit board capable of preventing deterioration ofthe RF characteristics of signals.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure has been made to address the above-mentionedproblems and disadvantages, and to provide at least the advantagesdescribed below.

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, a foldableelectronic device is provided. The foldable electronic device includes ahinge structure; a foldable housing including a folding area in whichthe electronic device is substantially folded about a folding axis, thefoldable housing including a first housing structure connected to thehinge structure, the first housing structure including a first surfacefacing in a first direction and a second surface facing in a seconddirection opposite the first direction, and a first printed circuitboard on which a plurality of electronic components are mounted; and asecond housing structure connected to the hinge structure, the secondhousing structure including a third surface facing in a third directionand a fourth surface facing in a fourth direction opposite the thirddirection, and a second printed circuit board on which a plurality ofelectronic components are mounted, the second housing structure beingfolded about the hinge structure relative to the first housingstructure; a flexible display disposed inside the foldable housing andextending from the first surface of the first housing structure to thethird surface of the second housing structure; a first flexibleconnection member placed across at least a portion of an inside of thefirst housing structure and at least a portion of an inside of thesecond housing structure, and configured to electrically connect thefirst printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board viaconnection ends disposed at opposite ends thereof, the first flexibleconnection member including a wire configured to transmit acommunication signal including an RF signal; a second flexibleconnection member placed across at least a portion of an inside of thefirst housing structure and at least a portion of an inside of thesecond housing structure, and configured to electrically connect thefirst printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board viaconnection ends disposed at opposite ends thereof, the second flexibleconnection member including a power wire; and an adhesive memberattached to the first flexible connection member so as to make the firstflexible connection member maintain a shape thereof constant within adesignated area while the foldable housing is being folded and unfolded.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a foldableelectronic device is provided. The foldable electronic device includes ahinge structure; a foldable housing including a folding area in whichthe electronic device is substantially folded about a folding axis, thefoldable housing including a first housing structure connected to thehinge structure, the first housing structure including a first surfacefacing in a first direction and a second surface facing in a seconddirection opposite the first direction, and a first printed circuitboard on which a plurality of electronic components are mounted; and asecond housing structure connected to the hinge structure, the secondhousing structure including a third surface facing in a third directionand a fourth surface facing in a fourth direction opposite the thirddirection, and a second printed circuit board on which a plurality ofelectronic components are mounted, the second housing structure beingconfigured to be foldable about the hinge structure relative to thefirst housing structure, wherein, in a folded state, the first surfacefaces the third surface and, in an unfolded state, the third directionis the same as the first direction; a flexible display disposed insidethe foldable housing and extending from the first surface of the firsthousing structure to the third surface of the second housing structure;and a multilayer flexible connection member placed across at least aportion of an inside of the first housing structure and at least aportion of an inside of the second housing structure, and configured toelectrically connect the first printed circuit board and the secondprinted circuit board via connection ends disposed at opposite endsthereof, wherein one or more slits are formed in a portion of themultilayer flexible connection member corresponding to the hingestructure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device, according to anembodiment;

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating the state in which an electronic device isunfolded, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view illustrating the state in which adisplay part of an electronic device is fully unfolded, according to anembodiment is;

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view illustrating the intermediate state inwhich a display part of an electronic device is partially unfolded,according to an embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an electronic device,according to an embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a portion of an inside of an electronicdevice, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating the state in which a hinge structure isremoved in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, according to anembodiment;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the hinge structure andthe flexible connection member in the state in which the electronicdevice is unfolded, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the hinge structure andthe flexible connection member in the state in which the electronicdevice is folded, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating a designated shape of a flexibleconnection member, in the state in which the electronic device isunfolded, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a view illustrating flexible connection members, according toan embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating flexible connection members and anadhesive member, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a view illustrating flexible connection members and anadhesive member connecting the flexible connection members, according toan embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a view illustrating the state in which one or more slits areformed in an adhesive member, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a view illustrating the state in which a flexible connectionmember and an adhesive member are coupled to each other, according to anembodiment;

FIG. 15A is a view illustrating a shape of one or more slits, accordingto an embodiment;

FIG. 15B is a view illustrating a shape of one or more slits, accordingto an embodiment;

FIG. 15C is a view illustrating a shape of one or more slits, accordingto an embodiment;

FIG. 15D is a view illustrating a shape of one or more slits, accordingto an embodiment;

FIG. 15E is a view illustrating a shape of one or more slits, accordingto an embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a view illustrating a flexible connection member and one ormore slits formed in the flexible connection member, according to anembodiment;

FIG. 17 is a conceptual view illustrating a flexible connection memberand one or more slits formed in the flexible connection member,according to an embodiment;

FIG. 18A is a cross-sectional view illustrating the flexible connectionmember according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 17 and one ormore slits formed in the flexible connection member, according to anembodiment;

FIG. 18B is a cross-sectional view illustrating the flexible connectionmember and one or more slits formed in the flexible connection member,according to an embodiment;

FIG. 19 is a view illustrating a flexible connection member and one ormore slits formed in the flexible connection member, according to anembodiment;

FIG. 20 is a view illustrating the state in which a designated shape ofa flexible connection member is maintained when the foldable electronicdevice is unfolded, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 21 is a view illustrating the state in which a designated shape ofa flexible connection member is maintained when the foldable electronicdevice is unfolded, according to an embodiment; and

FIG. 22 is a view illustrating the state in which a designated shape ofa flexible connection member is maintained when the foldable electronicdevice is unfolded, according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are described withreference to the accompanying drawings. However, various embodiments ofthe present disclosure are not limited to particular embodiments, and itshould be understood that modifications, equivalents, and/oralternatives of the embodiments described herein can be variously made.With regard to description of drawings, similar components may be markedby similar reference numerals.

In an electronic device, various electronic elements (or electroniccomponents) and a printed circuit board on which the various electronicelements are mounted may be disposed inside a bracket on whichcomponents are mounted. In the case of a foldable electronic device, theelectronic elements and the printed circuit board may be separatelydisposed in a plurality of housing structures based on various factorssuch as space for mounting, communication performance, and heatdissipation performance. A flexible circuit board, which is easily bent,may be used in order to connect electronic elements.

Since at least a portion of the flexible circuit board can be flexiblybent, the flexible circuit board may be highly utilized in a narrowspace, and may be suitable for use in a configuration that connects theelectronic elements contained inside a housing structure. However,durability and service life aspects may need to be additionallyconsidered.

According to some embodiments, when a foldable electronic device isrepeatedly folded and unfolded, stress due to friction with a housing, acomponent, or another board accumulates in a bent portion of a flexiblecircuit board, which may result in damage.

In addition, according to some embodiments, the shape (and/or position)of a bent portion of a flexible circuit board may not be able to beconstantly maintained when the bent portion moves within a designatedarea (i.e., when a designated shape of the bent portion is notmaintained). In addition, the designated shape of the bent portion maybecome deformed during repeated use of the foldable electronic device,so the service life may be shortened.

When the foldable electronic device is equipped with an ultra-highfrequency communication module (e.g., ultra-high communication in therange of 6 GHz or more and less than 100 GHz) (for example, when aflexible circuit board including an RF signal line is included), since aflexible circuit board designed in consideration of RF characteristicsis formed to have a thinner width compared to a board including ageneral signal line, it may be difficult to maintain the designatedshape of the bent portion. In addition, when the designated shape of thebent portion is deformed rather than being maintained, the impedance ofthe flexible circuit board including the RF signal line may be changed,resulting in a decrease in RF characteristics and an increase in signalloss.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are capable of providing afoldable electronic device capable of maintaining a form of a flexiblecircuit board even when the foldable electronic device is repeatedlyfolded and unfolded, so that damage to the flexible circuit board,shortening of the service life of the flexible circuit board, anddeterioration of the RF characteristics of the flexible circuit boardcan be prevented.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 101 in anetwork environment 100 according to various embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 1, the electronic device 101 in the networkenvironment 100 may communicate with an electronic device 102 via afirst network 198 (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network),or an electronic device 104 or a server 108 via a second network 199(e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to anembodiment, the electronic device 101 may communicate with theelectronic device 104 via the server 108. According to an embodiment,the electronic device 101 may include a processor 120, memory 130, aninput device 150, a sound output device 155, a display device 160, anaudio module 170, a sensor module 176, an interface 177, a haptic module179, a camera module 180, a power management module 188, a battery 189,a communication module 190, a subscriber identification module (SIM)196, or an antenna module 197. In some embodiments, at least one (e.g.,the display device 160 or the camera module 180) of the components maybe omitted from the electronic device 101, or one or more othercomponents may be added in the electronic device 101. In someembodiments, some of the components may be implemented as singleintegrated circuitry. For example, the sensor module 176 (e.g., afingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, or an illuminance sensor) may beimplemented as embedded in the display device 160 (e.g., a display).

The processor 120 may execute, for example, software (e.g., a program140) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware orsoftware component) of the electronic device 101 coupled with theprocessor 120, and may perform various data processing or computation.According to one embodiment, as at least part of the data processing orcomputation, the processor 120 may load a command or data received fromanother component (e.g., the sensor module 176 or the communicationmodule 190) in volatile memory 132, process the command or the datastored in the volatile memory 132, and store resulting data innon-volatile memory 134. According to an embodiment, the processor 120may include a main processor 121 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)or an application processor (AP)), and an auxiliary processor 123 (e.g.,a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), asensor hub processor, or a communication processor (CP)) that isoperable independently from, or in conjunction with, the main processor121. Additionally or alternatively, the auxiliary processor 123 may beadapted to consume less power than the main processor 121, or to bespecific to a specified function. The auxiliary processor 123 may beimplemented as separate from, or as part of the main processor 121.

The auxiliary processor 123 may control, for example, at least some offunctions or states related to at least one component (e.g., the displaydevice 160, the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190)among the components of the electronic device 101, instead of the mainprocessor 121 while the main processor 121 is in an inactive (e.g.,sleep) state, or together with the main processor 121 while the mainprocessor 121 is in an active (e.g., executing an application) state.According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., an ISP ora CP) may be implemented as part of another component (e.g., the cameramodule 180 or the communication module 190) functionally related to theauxiliary processor 123.

The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component(e.g., the processor 120 or the sensor module 176) of the electronicdevice 101. The various data may include, for example, software (e.g.,the program 140) and input data or output data for a command relatedthereto. The memory 130 may include the volatile memory 132 or thenon-volatile memory 134.

The program 140 may be stored in the memory 130 as software, and mayinclude, for example, an operating system (OS) 142, middleware 144, oran application 146.

The input device 150 may receive a command or data to be used by acomponent (e.g., the processor 120) of the electronic device 101, fromthe outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The inputdevice 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard,or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

The sound output device 155 may output sound signals to the outside ofthe electronic device 101. The sound output device 155 may include, forexample, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for generalpurposes, such as playing multimedia or playing record, and the receivermay be used for incoming calls. According to an embodiment, the receivermay be implemented as separate from, or as part of the speaker.

The display device 160 may visually provide information to the outside(e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The display device 160 mayinclude, for example, a display, a hologram device, or a projector andcontrol circuitry to control a corresponding one of the display,hologram device, and projector. According to an embodiment, the displaydevice 160 may include touch circuitry adapted to detect a touch, orsensor circuitry (e.g., a pressure sensor) adapted to measure theintensity of force incurred by the touch.

The audio module 170 may convert a sound into an electrical signal andvice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 may obtainthe sound via the input device 150, or output the sound via the soundoutput device 155 or an external electronic device (e.g., an electronicdevice 102 (e.g., a speaker or a headphone)) directly or wirelesslycoupled with the electronic device 101.

The sensor module 176 may detect an operational state (e.g., power ortemperature) of the electronic device 101 or an environmental state(e.g., a state of a user) external to the electronic device 101, andthen generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to thedetected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 176 mayinclude, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmosphericpressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gripsensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, abiometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or anilluminance sensor.

The interface 177 may support one or more specified protocols to be usedfor the electronic device 101 to be coupled with the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 102) directly or wirelessly.According to an embodiment, the interface 177 may include, for example,a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus(USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, or an audiointerface.

A connecting terminal 178 may include a connector via which theelectronic device 101 may be physically connected with the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to anembodiment, the connecting terminal 178 may include, for example, a HDMIconnector, a USB connector, a SD card connector, or an audio connector(e.g., a headphone connector).

The haptic module 179 may convert an electrical signal into a mechanicalstimulus (e.g., a vibration or a movement) or electrical stimulus whichmay be recognized by a user via his tactile sensation or kinestheticsensation. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 179 mayinclude, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electricstimulator.

The camera module 180 may capture a still image and moving images.According to an embodiment, the camera module 180 may include one ormore lenses, image sensors, ISPs, or flashes.

The power management module 188 may manage power supplied to theelectronic device 101. According to one embodiment, the power managementmodule 188 may be implemented as at least part of, for example, a powermanagement integrated circuit (PMIC).

The battery 189 may supply power to at least one component of theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the battery 189 mayinclude, for example, a primary cell which is not rechargeable, asecondary cell which is rechargeable, or a fuel cell.

The communication module 190 may support establishing a direct (e.g.,wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel betweenthe electronic device 101 and the external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 102, the electronic device 104, or the server 108) andperforming communication via the established communication channel. Thecommunication module 190 may include one or more communicationprocessors that are operable independently from the processor 120 (e.g.,the AP) and support a direct (e.g., wired) communication or a wirelesscommunication. According to an embodiment, the communication module 190may include a wireless communication module 192 (e.g., a cellularcommunication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or aglobal navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or awired communication module 194 (e.g., a local area network (LAN)communication module or a power line communication (PLC) module). Acorresponding one of these communication modules may communicate withthe external electronic device via the first network 198 (e.g., ashort-range communication network, such as Bluetooth™, wireless-fidelity(Wi-Fi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or the secondnetwork 199 (e.g., a long-range communication network, such as acellular network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., LAN or widearea network (WAN)). These various types of communication modules may beimplemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip), or may beimplemented as multi components (e.g., multi chips) separate from eachother. The wireless communication module 192 may identify andauthenticate the electronic device 101 in a communication network, suchas the first network 198 or the second network 199, using subscriberinformation (e.g., international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI))stored in the subscriber identification module 196.

The antenna module 197 may transmit or receive a signal or power to orfrom the outside (e.g., the external electronic device) of theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the antenna module197 may include an antenna including a radiating element composed of aconductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate(e.g., PCB). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 mayinclude a plurality of antennas. In such a case, at least one antennaappropriate for a communication scheme used in the communicationnetwork, such as the first network 198 or the second network 199, may beselected, for example, by the communication module 190 from theplurality of antennas. The signal or the power may then be transmittedor received between the communication module 190 and the externalelectronic device via the selected at least one antenna. According to anembodiment, another component (e.g., a radio frequency integratedcircuit (RFIC)) other than the radiating element may be additionallyformed as part of the antenna module 197.

At least some of the above-described components may be coupled mutuallyand communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween via aninter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general purposeinput and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobileindustry processor interface (MIPI)).

According to an embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted orreceived between the electronic device 101 and the external electronicdevice 104 via the server 108 coupled with the second network 199. Eachof the electronic devices 102 and 104 may be a device of a same type as,or a different type, from the electronic device 101. According to anembodiment, all or some of operations to be executed at the electronicdevice 101 may be executed at one or more of the external electronicdevices 102, 104, or 108. For example, if the electronic device 101should perform a function or a service automatically, or in response toa request from a user or another device, the electronic device 101,instead of, or in addition to, executing the function or the service,may request the one or more external electronic devices to perform atleast part of the function or the service. The one or more externalelectronic devices receiving the request may perform the at least partof the function or the service requested, or an additional function oran additional service related to the request, and transfer an outcome ofthe performing to the electronic device 101. The electronic device 101may provide the outcome, with or without further processing of theoutcome, as at least part of a reply to the request. To that end, acloud computing, distributed computing, or client-server computingtechnology may be used, for example.

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating the state in which an electronic device101 is unfolded, according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 illustrates thefront, rear, and side surfaces of the electronic device 101. FIG. 3A isa cross-sectional view illustrating the state in which a display part ofan electronic device 101 is fully unfolded, according to an embodiment.FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view illustrating the intermediate state inwhich a display part of the electronic device 101 is partially unfolded,according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 2, an electronic device 101 includes a foldablehousing 300 and a flexible or foldable display 200 disposed in a spacedefined by the foldable housing 300.

The surface on which the display 200 is disposed may be the frontsurface of the electronic device 101. At least a portion of the frontsurface of the electronic device 101 may be a substantially transparentfront plate (e.g., a glass plate or a polymer plate including variouscoating layers). The surface opposite the front surface may be the rearsurface of the electronic device 101. The rear surface of the electronicdevice 101 may be a substantially opaque rear plate or rear cover. Therear cover may be formed of, for example, coated or colored glass,ceramic, a polymer, a metal (e.g., aluminum, stainless steel (STS), ormagnesium), or a combination of at least two of these materials. Inaddition, the surface surrounding the space between the front surfaceand the rear surface may be a side surface of the electronic device 101.The side surface may be a side bezel structure or side member coupled tothe front plate and the rear cover and including a metal and/or apolymer. The rear cover and the side bezel structure may be integrallyformed, and may include the same material (e.g., a metal material suchas aluminum).

The electronic device 101 may include at least one of a display 200; amicrophone hole 204; speaker holes 205 and 206; a sensor module 209;camera modules 207 and 208; key input devices 211, 212, and 213; and aconnector hole 214. In the electronic device 101, at least one of thecomponents (e.g., the key input devices 211, 212, and 213) may beomitted, or other components (e.g., a light-emitting element) may beadditionally included.

A portion of the display 200 may be deformable into a planar surface ora curved surface. The display 200 may include a folding area 203, afirst area 201 disposed on one side of the folding area 203 (e.g., thetop side of the folding area 203), and a second area 202 disposed on theother side of the folding area 203 (e.g., the bottom side of the foldingarea 203). However, the display 200 may be divided into multiple areas(e.g., two areas or four or more areas) depending on the structure orfunction thereof. For example, the areas of the display 200 may bedivided on the basis of the folding area 203 or a folding axis A-A′.Alternatively, the areas of the display 200 may be divided on the basisof another folding area or another folding axis (e.g., a folding axisperpendicular to the folding axis A-A′).

The microphone hole 204 may include a microphone disposed therein so asto acquire external sound, and multiple microphones may be disposedtherein so as to enable detection of the direction of sound. The speakerholes 205 and 206 may include an external speaker hole and a phone callreceiver hole. The speaker holes 205 and 206 and the microphone hole 204may be implemented as a single hole, or a speaker may be includedwithout the speaker holes 205 and 206 (e.g., piezo speakers). Thelocations and number of the microphone hole 204 and speaker holes 205and 206 may be variable.

The camera modules 207 and 208 may include a first camera devicedisposed on the first surface 310 a of the first housing 310 of theelectronic device 101 and a second camera device 208 disposed on thesecond surface 310 b of the first housing 310 of the electronic device101. In addition, the electronic device 101 may further include a flash.The camera devices 207 and 208 may include one or more lenses, an imagesensor, and/or an ISP. The flash may include, for example, alight-emitting diode or a xenon lamp.

The sensor module 209 may generate an electrical signal or a data valuecorresponding to an internal operating state of the electronic device101 or an external environmental state. The electronic device 101 mayadditionally include another sensor module in addition to the sensormodule 209 provided on the second surface 310 b of the first housing310, or may include another sensor module instead of the sensor module209. The electronic device 101 may include, as a sensor module, at leastone of, for example, a proximity sensor, a fingerprint sensor, a heartrate monitor (HRM) sensor, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, anatmospheric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor,a grip sensor, a color sensor, an IR sensor, a biometric sensor, atemperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

Key input devices 211, 212, and 213 may be disposed on the side surfaceof the foldable housing 300. The electronic device 101 may not includesome or all of the above-mentioned key input devices 211, 212, and 213,and a key input device, which is not included in the electronic device101, may be implemented in another form, such as a soft key, on thedisplay 200. The key input devices may be configured such that key inputis implemented by a sensor module.

The connector hole 214 may be configured to accommodate a connector(e.g., a USB connector) configured to transmit and receive power and/ordata to and from an external electronic device, and to accommodate, inaddition to or instead of the connector, a connector configured totransmit and receive an audio signal to and from an external electronicdevice.

The foldable housing 300 may include a first housing structure 310, asecond housing structure 320, a first rear cover 380, a second rearcover 390, and a hinge structure 440. The foldable housing 300 of theelectronic device 101 may be implemented by a combination and/or anassembly of different shapes or components. For example, the firsthousing structure 310 and the first rear cover 380 may be integrallyformed, and the second housing structure 320 and the second rear cover390 may be integrally formed. The term “housing structure” may be acombination and/or an assembly of various components, including ahousing.

The first housing structure 310 may be connected to a hinge structure,and may include a first surface 310 a facing in a first direction and asecond surface 310 b facing in a second direction opposite the firstdirection. The second housing structure 320 may be connected to a hingestructure 440, and may include a third surface 320 a facing in a thirddirection and a fourth surface 320 b facing in a fourth directionopposite the third direction. The second housing structure 320 may berotatable about the hinge structure (or the folding axis A-A′) relativeto the first housing structure 310.

The first housing structure 310 and the second housing structure 320 maybe disposed on opposite sides (or upper and lower sides) about thefolding axis A-A′, and may have a generally symmetrical shape withrespect to the folding axis A-A′. The first housing 310 and the secondhousing 320 may form an angle or a distance therebetween, which may bevariable depending on whether the electronic device 101 is in anunfolded state, in a folded state, or in an intermediate state. Unlikethe second housing structure 320, the first housing structure 310 mayfurther include various sensors. However, the first housing structure310 and the second housing structure 320 may have mutually symmetricalshapes in other areas.

At least a portion of the first housing structure 310 and at least aportion of the second housing structure 320 may be formed of a metalmaterial or a non-metal material having rigidity of a level selected soas to support the display 200. The at least a portion formed of themetal material may provide a ground plane of the electronic device 101,and may be electrically connected to a ground line formed on a printedcircuit board 430.

The first rear cover 380 may be disposed on one side of the folding axisA-A′ on the rear surface of the electronic device 101, and may have, forexample, a substantially rectangular periphery, which may be enclosed bythe first housing structure 310. Similarly, the second rear cover 390may be disposed on the other side of the folding axis A-A′ of the rearsurface of the electronic device 101, and the periphery of the secondrear cover 390 may be enclosed by the second housing structure 320.

The first rear cover 380 and the second rear cover 390 may havesubstantially symmetrical shapes about the folding axis A-A′. However,the first rear cover 380 and the second rear cover 390 must notnecessarily have mutually symmetrical shapes, and an electronic device101 may include a first rear cover 380 and a second rear cover 390having various shapes. Additionally, the first rear cover 380 may beformed integrally with the first housing structure 310, and the secondrear cover 390 may be formed integrally with the second housingstructure 320.

The first rear cover 380, the second rear cover 390, the first housingstructure 310, and the second housing structure 320 may define a spacein which various components (e.g., a printed circuit board or a battery)of the electronic device 101 can be disposed. One or more components maybe disposed or visually exposed on the rear surface of the electronicdevice 101. For example, at least a portion of a sub-display 210 may bevisually exposed through the first rear cover 380. Additionally, one ormore components or sensors may be visually exposed through the firstrear cover 380. The sensors may include a proximity sensor and/or a rearcamera. One or more components or sensors may be visually exposedthrough the second rear cover 390.

A front camera 207 exposed to the front surface of the electronic device101 through one or more openings or a rear camera 208 exposed through ofthe first rear cover 380 may include one or more lenses, an imagesensor, and/or an ISP. The flash 209 may include a light-emitting diodeor a xenon lamp. Two or more lenses (e.g., an infrared camera lens, awide-angle lens, and a telephoto lens) and image sensors may be disposedon one surface of the electronic device 101.

FIG. 3A represents a fully unfolded state of the display part, and FIG.3B represents a partially unfolded state (or partially folded state) ofthe display part.

The display part of the electronic device 101 may include aconfiguration that displays a screen and a configuration that isconnected to the display and moves integrally with the display.Referring to FIG. 3A, the display part may include a display panel 200 cand a touch panel 200 d disposed adjacent to the display panel 200 c.

The electronic device 101 may be adjusted to a folded state or anunfolded state. The electronic device 101 may be an “in-folding” type inwhich the front surface of the electronic device 101 is folded to forman acute angle when viewed in the direction of the folding axis (e.g.,A-A′ in FIG. 2), and an “out-folding” type in which the front surface ofthe electronic device 101 is folded to form an obtuse angle when viewedin the direction of the folding axis. For example, in the electronicdevice 101, the first surface 310 a may face the third surface 320 a inthe state in which the electronic device 101 is in the folded state inthe in-folding type, and the third direction may be the same as thefirst direction in the fully unfolded state. In another example, in thestate in which the electronic device 101 is folded in the out-foldingtype, the second surface 310 b may face the fourth surface 320 b.

The in-folding type may mean the type in which the display 200 is notexposed to the outside in the fully folded state. The out-folding typemay mean the type in which the display 200 is exposed to the outside inthe fully folded state. FIG. 3B illustrates an intermediate state inwhich the electronic device 101 is partially unfolded in the process inwhich the electronic device 101 is folded in the in-folding type.Hereinafter, for convenience, the electronic device 101 will bedescribed focusing on the state of being folded in the in-folding type,but it should be noted that these descriptions may be applicable,mutatis mutandis, to the state in which the electronic device 101 isfolded in the out-folding type.

The display 200 may include a display panel 200 c, a polarizing layer200 b disposed on the display panel 200 c, and a window member 200 aforming the appearance of the display. The display panel 200 c, thepolarizing layer 200 b, and the window member 200 a form one display200, and may be formed of a flexible material. Accordingly, asillustrated in FIG. 3A, when an external force is applied in the statein which the display 200 is unfolded, the display 200 may be bent asillustrated in FIG. 3B. Alternatively, when an external force is appliedin the state in which the display 200 is partially folded as illustratedin FIG. 3B, the display 200 may be unfolded as illustrated FIG. 3A.

The electronic device 101 may detect input (e.g., a user's input orinput through the input device 150) on the surface of the display 200using the touch panel 200 d. Here, the input capable of being recognizedby the touch panel 200 d may include not only input through directcontact with the surface of the display 200, but also input throughhovering. The touch panel 200 d may have substantially the same area asthe display 200. The touch panel 200 d may be disposed on the topsurface or the rear surface of the display 200. FIGS. 3A and 3Billustrate the state in which the touch panel 200 d is attached to therear surface of the display 200.

The display device 200 may be at least partially made of a material thattransmits radio waves or magnetic fields. Since the display 200 may beequipped with a display panel 200 c and/or a touch panel 200 d, thedisplay 200 may be used as an output device that outputs a screen and asan input device that is provided with a touch screen function. Thedisplay panel 200 c may include a display element layer including one ormore pixels and a thin-film transistor (TFT) layer connected to thedisplay element layer. The display panel 200 c may correspond to a panelsuch as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED), oran organic light-emitting diode (OLED), and may display various imagesaccording to various operation states, executed applications, andcontents of the electronic device 101.

The touch panel 200 d may include various types of touch. For example,various touch panels, such as a capacitive touch panel that detects achange in capacitance, a pressurized touch panel that detects a positionby detecting a pressure acting on the panel, an optical touch panelusing infrared rays, and a transparent-electrode-type touch panel usingcontacts of a transparent conductive film, may be used. In addition,various types of input position detection panels, such as anelectromagnetic-resonance-type touch panel, may be used.

The window member 200 a may serve as a protective film for protectingthe display panel 200 c. As a protective film, the window member 200 amay be made of a material that protects the display panel 200 c fromexternal impacts, that is resistant to scratches, and that generatesless wrinkles in the folding area even when the foldable housing isrepeatedly folded and unfolded. A clear polyimide (CPI) film orultra-thin glass (UTG) may be included as the material of the windowmember 200 a.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an electronic device400, according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 4, the electronic device 400 includes a display 410, afoldable housing 420, a printed circuit board 430, a hinge structure440, a flexible connection member 450, a hinge cover 460, an antennamodule 470, and a rear cover 480. Hereinafter, a detailed description ofcomponents overlapping those described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3(e.g., the display 410, the foldable housing 420, and the rear cover480) will be omitted.

The display 410 may be exposed through a substantial portion of a frontplate 411. The shape of the display 410 may be substantially the same asthe shape of the periphery of the front plate 411.

The foldable housing 420 may include a first housing 421 and a secondhousing 422. The first housing 421 may include a first surface 421 a anda second surface 421 b facing away from the first surface 421 a, and thesecond housing 422 may include a third surface 422 a and a fourthsurface 422 b facing away from the third surface 422 a. The foldablehousing 420 may additionally or alternatively include a bracketassembly. The bracket assembly may include a first bracket assembly 423disposed on the first housing structure 421 and a second bracketassembly 424 disposed on the second housing structure 422. At least aportion of the bracket assembly, for example, a portion 425 including atleast a portion of the first bracket assembly 423 and at least a portionof the second bracket assembly 424, may serve as a plate for supportingthe hinge structure 440.

Various electric elements may be disposed on the printed circuit board430. For example, a processor 120, a memory 130, and/or an interface 177may be mounted on the printed circuit board 430. The processor mayinclude at least one of a CPU, an AP, a graphics processor, an ISP, asensor hub processor, or a CP. The memory may include, for example, avolatile memory or a nonvolatile memory. The interface may include, forexample, an HDMI, a USB interface, an SD card interface, and/or an audiointerface. The interface may electrically or physically connect theelectronic device 300 to an external electronic device, and may includea USB connector, an SD card/multimedia card (MMC) connector, or an audioconnector.

The printed circuit board 430 may include a first printed circuit board431 disposed on the first bracket assembly 423 side and a second printedcircuit board 432 disposed on the second bracket assembly 424 side. Thefirst printed circuit board 431 and the second printed circuit board 432may be disposed in the space defined by the foldable housing 420, thebracket assembly, the first rear cover 481, and/or the second rear cover482. Components for implementing various functions of the electronicdevice 400 may be mounted on the first printed circuit board 431 and thesecond printed circuit board 432 to be separated from each other. Aprocessor may be disposed on the first printed circuit board 431, and anaudio interface may be disposed on the second printed circuit board 432.

A battery may be disposed adjacent to the printed circuit board 430 soas to supply power to the electronic device 400. At least a portion ofthe battery may be disposed to be substantially flush with the printedcircuit board 430. A first battery 433 may be disposed adjacent to thefirst printed circuit board 431, and a second battery 434 may bedisposed adjacent to the second printed circuit board 432. The batteryis a device for supplying power to at least one component of theelectronic device 400, and may include a non-rechargeable primarybattery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell. The batterymay be integrally disposed inside the electronic device 400, or may bedetachably disposed on the electronic device 400. The hinge structure440 may be configured to support the foldable housing 420 and/or thebracket assembly such that the foldable housing 420 can rotate about afolding axis (e.g., A-A′ in FIG. 2). The hinge structure 440 may includea first hinge structure 441 disposed on the first printed circuit board431 side and a second hinge structure 442 disposed on the second printedcircuit board 432 side. The hinge structure 440 may be disposed betweenthe first printed circuit board 431 and the second printed circuit board432. The hinge structure 440 may be formed substantially integrally witha portion 425 including at least a portion of the first bracket assembly423 and at least a portion of the second bracket assembly 424.

The “housing structure” may be a structure that includes a foldablehousing 420, and one or more components disposed inside the housing 420may be assembled and/or combined with each other. The housing structuremay include a first housing structure and a second housing structure. Anassembled configuration that includes a first housing 421 and furtherincludes at least one of the first bracket assembly 423, the firstprinted circuit board 431, and the first battery 433 disposed inside thefirst housing 421 may be referred to a “first housing structure”. Anassembled configuration that includes a second housing 422 and furtherincludes at least one of the second bracket assembly 424, the secondprinted circuit board 432, and the second battery 434 disposed insidethe second housing 422 may be referred to a “second housing structure”.However, it should be noted that the “first housing structure” and the“second housing structure” are not limited to the above-describedcomponents, and other components may be additionally included oromitted.

The flexible connection member 450 may be a flexible printed circuitboard (FPCB). Various electric elements disposed on the first printedcircuit board 431 and the second printed circuit board 432 may beconnected to each other using the flexible connection member 450.Accordingly, the flexible connection member 450 may be disposed acrossthe “first housing structure” and the “second housing structure”. Theflexible connection member 450 may be disposed so as to cross at least aportion of the hinge structure 440. The flexible connection member 450may be configured to connect the first printed circuit board 431 and thesecond printed circuit board 432 to each other across the hingestructure 440 in a direction parallel to the y-axis of FIG. 4. Theflexible connection member 450 may be fitted and coupled to the openings441 h and 442 h in the hinge structure 440. In this case, a portion 450a of the flexible connection member 450 may be disposed to cross oneside (e.g., the upper portion) of the first hinge structure 441, and theother portion 450 b of the flexible connection member 450 may bedisposed to cross the one side (e.g., the upper portion) of the hingestructure 442. Further, another portion 450 c of the flexible connectionmember 450 may be disposed on the other sides (e.g., the lower portions)of the first hinge structure 441 and the second hinge structure 442. Atpositions adjacent to the first hinge structure 441 and the second hingestructure 442, a space (hereinafter referred to as a “hinge space”)surrounded by at least a portion of the first hinge structure 441, atleast a portion of the second hinge structure 442, and at least aportion of the hinge cover 460 may be formed. At least a portion 450 cof the flexible connection member 450 may be disposed in the hingespace.

The hinge cover 460 may be configured to at least partially surround thehinge space. The hinge cover 460 may close the hinge space together withthe hinge structure 440, and may protect the structure (e.g., at least aportion 450 c of the flexible connection member 450) disposed inside thehinge space from an external impact. The hinge cover 460 may be disposedbetween the first housing 421 and the second housing 422. The hingecover 460 may be coupled to at least a portion of the first housing(e.g., the first rotation support 511 to be described with reference toFIG. 7) and at least a portion of the second housing (e.g., the secondrotation support 521 to be described later with reference to FIG. 7).

The antenna module 470 may be disposed between the rear cover 480 andthe battery. The antenna module 470 may include a plurality of antennamodules in one electronic device 400. For example, the antenna module470 may include a first antenna module 471 disposed on the first housing421 side and a second antenna module 472 disposed on the second housing422 side. The antenna module may include at least one radiator. Inaddition, the antenna module 470 may include, for example, a nearfieldcommunication (NFC) antenna, a wireless charging antenna, and/or amagnetic secure transmission (MST) antenna. The antenna module 470 mayperform short-range communication with an external electronic device, ormay transmit/receive power required for charging to/from the externaldevice in a wireless manner. An antenna structure may be formed by aportion of a side bezel structure of the foldable housing 420, a portionof a bracket assembly, or a combination thereof.

The rear cover 480 may include a first rear cover 481 and a second rearcover 482. The rear cover 480 may be coupled to the foldable housing 420so as to protect the above-described components (e.g., the printedcircuit board 430, the battery, the flexible connection member 450, andthe antenna module 470) disposed inside the foldable housing 420. Asdescribed above, the rear cover 480 may be configured substantiallyintegrally with the foldable housing 420.

Hereinafter, the flexible connection member 550 will be described inmore detail with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8.

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a portion of the inside of an electronicdevice 101, according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a view illustratingthe state in which a hinge structure 540 is removed in the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 5, according to an embodiment. In the embodimentsillustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the inside of the electronic device isenlarged to focus on the flexible connection member 450 when a pluralityof components illustrated in FIG. 4 (e.g., the flexible connectionmember 450 and the foldable housing 420) are coupled.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, the foldable housing 501 includes a first housing 510and a second housing 520. Here, the first housing 510 and the secondhousing 520 may be cover portions that surround a first housingstructure 310 and a second housing structure 320, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 5, the flexible connection member 550 may be placedacross at least a portion of the inside of the first housing structure310 and at least a portion of the inside of the second housing structure320. Here, the phrase “the flexible connection member 550 is placedacross the inside of a housing structure” may mean that the flexibleconnection member 550, having a relatively long elongated shape, isdisposed above or below the housing structure. As described above, thehousing structure may include a housing and may be assembled in aconfiguration including at least one of a bracket assembly, a printedcircuit board, and a battery disposed inside the housing. Accordingly,the phrase “the flexible connection member 550 is placed across at leasta portion of the inside of the housing structure” may mean the flexibleconnection member 550 is placed across at least some of the componentsincluded in the housing structure. For example, the flexible connectionmember 550 may be placed across at least a portion of a first bracketassembly 523 and at least a portion of a second bracket assembly 524.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 together, when viewing the inside of thefoldable housing 501 from above, at least a portion of the flexibleconnection member 550 may be covered by the hinge structure 540. Theportion H covered by the hinge structure 540 is a portion whichcorresponds to the hinge space, and in which movement (e.g., bending)repeatedly occurs in the flexible connection member 550 during theunfolding and folding operation of the foldable electronic device.

The flexible connection member 550 included in the foldable electronicdevice may include a plurality of flexible connection members 551 and552. At least a portion of the flexible connection member 550 may beplaced across the inside of the first housing structure including thefirst housing 510, the first bracket assembly 523, and the first printedcircuit board 531, and another portion may be placed across the insideof the second housing structure including the second housing 520 and thesecond bracket assembly 524. FIGS. 5 and 6 are illustrated in the statein which the second printed circuit board is illustrated. The flexibleconnection member 550 may be placed on the first housing structure andthe second housing structure across the hinge structure 540. In thiscase, a portion of the flexible connection member 550 may be configuredto pass through the opening 540 h in the hinge structure 540.

The plurality of flexible connection members 551 and 552 will bedescribed later in detail in the embodiment of FIG. 10 below.

Hereinafter, the movement of the flexible connection member 550 in thehinge space will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. Here, thedashed-dotted line B-B′ represents a virtual surface perpendicular tothe folding axis A-A′ illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the hinge structure 540and the flexible connection member 660 in the state in which theelectronic device 500 is unfolded, according to an embodiment. FIG. 8 isa cross-sectional view illustrating the hinge structure 540 and theflexible connection member 550 in the state in which the electronicdevice is folded, according to an embodiment.

The operations of the first housing 510 and the second housing 520 andthe operations of the hinge structure 540 and the flexible connectionmember 550 according to the states of the electronic device 500 (e.g.,the unfolded state, the folded state, and the intermediate state) willbe described.

Referring to FIG. 7, when the electronic device 500 is in the unfoldedstate, the first surface 421 a of the first housing 510 and the thirdsurface 422 a of the second housing 520 may be disposed to face the samedirection while forming an angle of about 180 degrees. The surface ofthe first area 201 and the surface of the second area 202 of the displaymay form an angle of about 180 degrees therebetween, and may face thesame direction (e.g., the front direction of the electronic device). Afolding area 203 formed between the first area 201 and the second area202 may form the same plane as the first area 201 and the second area202.

Referring to FIG. 8, when the electronic device 500 is in the foldedstate, the first surface 421 a of the first housing 510 and the secondsurface 422 a of the second housing 520 are be disposed to face eachother. The first surface 421 a and the second surface 422 a may form anacute angle (e.g., an angle between about 0 degrees and 10 degrees) withreference to a virtual plane B-B′ perpendicular to the folding axisA-A′. The surface of the first area 201 and the surface of the secondarea 202 of the display may also face each other while forming a narrowangle (e.g., an angle between about 0 degrees and 10 degrees) relativeto each other. At least a portion of the folding area 203 may have acurved surface having a predetermined curvature.

Referring to FIG. 8, an embodiment in which the electronic device 500illustrated in FIG. 3B is in an intermediate state will be described.The first surface 421 a of the first housing 510 and the second surfaces422 a of the second housing 520 may be disposed at a certain angle toeach other. The surface of the first area 201 and the surface of thesecond area 202 of the display 200 may form an angle greater than thatin the folded state and smaller than that in the unfolded state. Atleast a portion of the folding area 203 may have a curved surface havinga predetermined curvature, and the curvature at this time may be smallerthan that in the folded state.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8 together, the hinge structure 540 includes afirst hinge structure 541 and a second hinge structure 542. Each of thefirst hinge structure 541 and the second hinge structure 542 may includea hinge plate. The first hinge structure 541 may support at least aportion of the flexible connection member 550, and the second hingestructure 542 may also support at least a portion of the flexibleconnection member 550. In the above structure, the hinge structure 540may be coupled with the hinge cover 570 so as to define a hinge space S,which is at least partially surrounded by the hinge structure 540 andthe hinge cover 570. At least a portion of the flexible connectionmember 550 may be disposed in the hinge space S.

The first housing 510 may include a first rotation support 511 coupledto one side of the hinge cover 570, and the second housing 520 mayinclude a second rotation support 521 coupled to the other side of thehinge cover 570. The first rotation support 511 may include a firstrotation support surface 511 a, and the second rotation support 521 mayinclude a second rotation support surface 521 a. The first rotationsupport surface 511 a and the second rotation support surface 521 a faceeach other, and may operate symmetrically with respect to the virtualsurface B-B′. Each of the first rotation support surface 511 a and thesecond rotation support surface 521 a may include a curved surfacecorresponding to the curved surface included in the hinge cover 570.

When the electronic device 500 is in the unfolded state (e.g., theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 7), the first rotation support surface511 a and the second rotation support surface 521 a may cover the hingecover 570 so that the hinge cover 570 cannot be exposed to the rearsurface of the electronic device 500 or can be minimally exposed to therear surface of the electronic device 101. When the electronic device500 is in the folded state (e.g., the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8),the first rotation support surface 511 a and the second rotation supportsurface 521 a may rotate along the curved surfaces included in thehinger cover 570 so that the hinge cover 570 can be exposed to the rearsurface of the electronic device 500.

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating a disturbed (e.g., appearing irregular)designated shape of a flexible connection member 650 in a state in whichthe electronic device is unfolded.

Referring to FIG. 9, a shape of the flexible connection member 650 inthe hinge space S may be disturbed due to repeated operations of foldingand unfolding the foldable electronic device. The phrase “the designatedshape is disturbed” may include a case where the designated shape of theflexible connection member 650 is permanently deformed, or a case wherethe shape of the flexible connection member 650 is deformed due to thefoldable electronic device being repeatedly folded and unfolded.

According to the example in which the designated shape is disturbed,when a plurality of flexible connection members are disposed in thehinge space S, the designated shape of each flexible connection member650 may be more easily disturbed, and disturbance of the designatedshape of any one flexible connection member may affect the signaltransmission performance and service life of other flexible connectionmembers.

Referring to FIG. 9, two flexible connection members 651 and 652 areillustrated as the plurality of flexible connection members disposed inthe hinge space S. When the designated shapes of two flexible connectionmembers 651 and 652 are not maintained in the state in which theelectronic device is unfolded, at one side P1 of the hinge side S, theflexible connection members 651 and 652 may be in excessively closecontact with a structure (e.g., the hinge cover 670) side of thefoldable electronic device. On the other side P2, at least one of theflexible connection members 651 and 652 may be in excessively closecontact with the structure (e.g., the hinge cover 670) side of thefoldable electronic device, and may be spaced apart from the otherflexible connection member. If the designated shapes of the two flexibleconnection members 651 and 652 are not maintained, the shapes of theflexible connection members 651 and 652 at one side P1 and the shapes ofthe flexible connection members 651 and 652 at the other side P2 may bedifferent from each other. In addition, in another portion P3, theflexible connection members 651 and 652 may rub against the structure(e.g., the hinge cover 670) of the foldable electronic device in thestate in which the electronic device is unfolded, which may result indamage or rapid reduction of the service life due to accumulated stress.

In the following description, various embodiments for preventing thedesignated shape of the flexible connection members from being disturbedwill be described.

First, various embodiments of a flexible connection member 550 will bedescribed. FIG. 10 is a view illustrating flexible connection members,according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 10, the flexible connection member 550 may include aplurality of flexible connection members. For example, the flexibleconnection member 550 may include a first flexible connection member 551and a second flexible connection member 552. Further, the flexibleconnection member 550 may further include three or more flexibleconnection members.

In FIG. 10, the first flexible connection member 551 and the secondflexible connection member 552 are completely separated from each otherand illustrated as two separate flexible connection members.

Substantially one flexible connection member may be divided into a firstflexible connection member 551 and a second flexible connection member552. For example, substantially one flexible connection member, which isnot physically divided, may be divided into a first flexible connectionmember 551 and a second flexible connection member 552 according totypes of signal lines, and may be branched into two or more branches inonly some of the areas in which the flexible connection member islocated. The first flexible connection member 551 and the secondflexible connection member 552 may have a form of an integrated flexibleconnection member inside the first housing structure 310, and may bebranched into two different flexible connection members 551 and 552inside the second housing structure 320. As described above, it shouldbe noted that the shape of the flexible connection member may bevariously set in different embodiments. In the following description,for convenience of description, a case where two flexible connectionmembers 551 and 552, which are physically spaced apart from each otherand have different shapes, will be described, but it should be notedthat the scope of the disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto.

Referring to FIG. 10, the first flexible connection member 551 may beplaced across at least a portion of the inside of the first housingstructure 310 and at least a portion of the second housing structure320. The second flexible connection member 552 may also be placed acrossat least a portion of the first housing structure 310 and at least aportion of the second housing structure 320.

Each of the first and second flexible connection members 551 and 552 mayinclude a means so as to be connected to a first printed circuit board431 or a second printed circuit board 432. The first flexible connectionmember 551 may electrically connect the first printed circuit board 431and the second printed circuit board 432 to each other via connectionends 551 a and 551 b disposed at the opposite ends thereof. The secondflexible connection member 552 may also electrically connect the firstprinted circuit board 431 and the second printed circuit board 432 toeach other via connection ends 552 a and 552 b disposed at the oppositeends thereof. Here, the connection ends may each include a receptacle ora header in which at least one pin is formed. The first and secondflexible connection members 551 and 552 may be connected to at least oneof the first printed circuit board and the second printed circuit boardvia various other means as well as a receptacle or header structure. Forexample, the flexible connection members 551 and 552 may be connected atleast one of the first printed circuit board 431 and the second printedcircuit board 432 via a bonding part formed through a hot-bar processusing thermocompression. The shapes of the connection ends and themanufacturing method therefor are not limited to any specificconfiguration. Based on the shapes of the connection ends, the first andsecond flexible connection members 551 and 552 may include, for example,a flexible printed circuit (FPC) or a flexible flat cable (FFC) typeconnector structure, a board to bard (B to B) type connector structure,a zip type connector structure, a bonding type connector structureformed through a hot-bar process, a low insertion force (LIF) connectorstructure, or a zero insertion force (ZIF) connector structure.

Each of the first and second flexible connection members 551 and 552 mayinclude at least one electrically conductive path connecting the firstprinted circuit board 431 and the second printed circuit board 432 toeach other. Power or a control signal provided from a power managementmodule or a processor may be transmitted via the electrically conductivepath. The flexible connection members 551 and 552 may each include an RFwire, which is a high-frequency signal line, as the electricallyconductive path for transmitting a communication signal provided from anRF transceiver or a communication signal received via a communicationdevice to another RF transceiver. For example, the first flexibleconnection member 551 may include a wire (or a conductive path) fortransmitting a communication signal including an RF signal. In addition,the second flexible connection member 552 may include a wire fortransmitting an electrical signal that is less sensitive to an impedancechange than a wire included in the first flexible connection member 551.The second flexible connection member 552 may include a power wire. Thesecond flexible connection member 552 may include a wire fortransmitting data and/or a wire for transmitting a control signal (anelectrically conductive path) in addition to or instead of the powerwire. The first flexible connection member 551 may be formed to bethinner and narrower than the second flexible connection member 552,depending on RF signal characteristics. Therefore, when the firstflexible connection member 551, including a conductive path fortransmitting an RF signal, is repeatedly used in the state in which adesignated shape thereof is disturbed in the hinge space, the durabilitythereof will be relatively weak compared to the second flexibleconnection member 552, and it may be difficult to exhibit smoothcommunication performance because the first flexible connection member551 is vulnerable to a change in impedance.

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating flexible connection members and anadhesive member, according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 11, a foldable electronic device includes an adhesivemember 553 attached to the first flexible connection member 551. Theadhesive member 553 may be a component for making the first flexibleconnection member 551 maintain the shape thereof constant within adesignated area while the foldable housing 300 is being folded andunfolded. Tape (e.g., non-conductive tape) may be used as the adhesivemember 553. The first flexible connection member 551 and the secondflexible connection member 552 may maintain the designated shapesthereof by the adhesive member 553 even when the foldable electronicdevice is repeatedly folded and unfolded.

The adhesive member 553 may be disposed to cover at least a partial areaof the first flexible connection member 551. Here, a portion 450 c (or a“flexible portion”) of the flexible connection member described withreference to FIG. 4 may correspond to the “at least a partial area” ofthe first flexible connection member 551.

Each portion of the flexible connection member will be described.Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11 together, the first flexible connectionmember 551 may include, along the longitudinal direction of the firstflexible connection member 551, a rigid portion 551 c fixed to the firsthousing structure 310 side, a rigid portion 551 d fixed to the secondhousing structure 320, and a flex portion 551 e between the rigidportions 551 c and 551 d. The second flexible connection member 552 mayinclude, along the longitudinal direction of the flexible connectionmember 551, a rigid portion 552 c fixed to the first housing structure310 side, a rigid portion 552 d fixed to the second housing structure320, and a flex portion 552 e between the rigid portions 552 c and 552d. Here, the phrase “the rigid portions 551 c and 551 d of the firstflexible connection member 551 are fixed to the first housing structureside and the second housing structure side” may include a case where therigid portion 551 c of the first flexible connection member 551 is fixedto a first hinge structure 441, a first printed circuit board 431, or afirst bracket assembly 423 disposed inside the first housing structure310. The rigid portion 551 d of the first flexible connection member 551may be fixed to a second hinge structure 442, a second printed circuitboard 432, or a second bracket assembly 424 disposed inside the secondhousing structure 320. The phrase “the rigid portions 552 c and 552 d ofthe second flexible connection member 552 are fixed to the first housingstructure side and the second housing structure side” may be similarlyapplied to an embodiment in which the rigid portions 551 c and 551 d ofthe first flexible connection member 551 are fixed to the first housingstructure side and the second housing structure side.

The flex portions 551 e and 552 e may be portions that are movable in aspace (e.g., the hinge space S in FIG. 7) inside the hinge structure.The adhesive member 553 may be stacked on the flex portion 551 e of thefirst flexible connection member 551, and may guide the flex portion 551e to be movable within a designated area (e.g., the hinge space S) whilemaintaining the shape (and/or the position) thereof constant.

The first flexible connection member 551 may include a cover layer so asto increase the rigidity of the first flexible connection member 551,and thus to maintain the designated shape of the flexible connectionmember 551. However, when a cover layer is added to the first flexibleconnection member 551, the flexibility of the flex portion 551 e maydecrease. Accordingly, an embodiment of maintaining the designated shapeof the first flexible connection member 551 without a cover layer usingthe adhesive member 553 may be provided.

FIG. 12 is a view illustrating flexible connection members and anadhesive member 554 connecting the flexible connection members,according to an embodiment. FIG. 13 is a view illustrating the state inwhich one or more slits 555 are formed in the adhesive member 554,according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 12, the foldable electronic device includes anadhesive member 554 connecting the flexible connection members 551 and552 to each other. The adhesive member 554 may be a component configuredto fix the positions of two different flexible connection members 551and 552 together, and to constantly maintain the designated shapes(and/or positions) of the first flexible connection member 551 and thesecond flexible connection member 552 within a designated area while thefoldable housing 300 is being folded and unfolded. The adhesive member554 may serve to connect the first flexible connection member 551 andthe second flexible connection member 552 like a single flexibleconnection member.

The first flexible connection member 551 and the second flexibleconnection member 552 may be connected to each other using tape as theadhesive member 554. The first flexible connection member 551 and thesecond flexible connection member 552 may maintain the designated shapesthereof by the adhesive member 554 even when the foldable electronicdevice is repeatedly folded and unfolded.

Referring to FIG. 13, the adhesive member 554 may be disposed to coverat least a partial area of the first flexible connection members 551 and552. Here, a portion (or a “flexible portion”) 450 c of the flexibleconnection member described above with reference to FIG. 4 maycorrespond to the “at least a partial area” of the flexible connectionmembers 551 and 552. Hereinafter, with respect to each portion of theadhesive member 554, a description of a portion overlapping thedescription of FIG. 11 will be omitted.

The flex portions 551 e and 552 e may be portions that are movable in aspace (e.g., the hinge space S in FIG. 7) inside the hinge structure.The adhesive member 554 may be stacked on the flex portion 551 e of thefirst flexible connection member 551 and the flex portion 552 of thesecond flexible connection member 552, and may guide the flex portions551 e and 552 e to be movable within a designated area (e.g., the hingespace S) while maintaining the shapes (and/or the positions) thereofconstant.

Referring to FIG. 13, opposite sides of the adhesive member 554 may beconnected to the rigid portions 551 c and 551 d of the first flexibleconnection member 551 and the rigid portions 552 c and 552 d of thesecond flexible connection member 552, respectively. For example, theadhesive member 554 may have a shape that entirely covers the flexportions 551 e and 552 e. Alternatively, the adhesive member 554 mayhave a shape covering only a portion of the flex portions 551 e and 552e.

The shape of the adhesive member 554 may be variously set. For example,the adhesive member 554 may further include a handle portion 553 a,which allows the user to directly attach the adhesive member 554 to thefirst flexible connection member 551 and the second flexible connectionmember 552, in addition to the portion that entirely covers the flexportions 551 e and 552 e.

One or more slits may be formed in the adhesive member 554 to maintainthe designated shapes of the flexible connection members 551 and 552.The one or more slits 555 may serve to equalize the movement of the flexportion when the flexible connection members 551 and 552 are bent.

The longitudinal direction of the one or more slits 555 may be parallelto the folding axis A-A′ of the electronic device 101. When a pluralityof slits are included, the arrangement direction of the plurality ofslits may be formed to be perpendicular to the folding axis A-A′.

FIG. 14 is a view illustrating the state in which the flexibleconnection members 551 and 552 and the adhesive member 554 are coupledto each other, according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 14, in the adhesive member 554, the handle part 554 aincluded in the adhesive member 554 can be disposed at differentportions of the adhesive member 554 to form different shapes of theadhesive member 554. In contrast to FIG. 13, only one side of theadhesive member 554 is connected to the rigid portion 551 d of the firstflexible connection member 551 and the rigid portion 552 d of the secondflexible connection member 552, and the other side is stacked on theflex portions 551 e and 552 e in the state of being spaced apart fromthe rigid portions 551 c and 552 c by a predetermined distance.

In addition, the shape and/or number of one or more slits 555 providedin the adhesive member 554 may vary. In FIGS. 15A to 15E describedbelow, one or more slits are disclosed, according to variousembodiments.

FIG. 15A is a view illustrating a shape of one or more slits 555,according to an embodiment. FIG. 15B is a view illustrating a shape ofone or more slits 555, according to an embodiment. FIG. 15C is a viewillustrating a shape of one or more slits 556, according to anembodiment. FIG. 15D is a view illustrating a shape of one or more slits557, according to an embodiment. FIG. 15E is a view illustrating a shapeof one or more slits 557 and 558, according to an embodiment.

One or more slits formed in the adhesive member 554 may have variousshapes, numbers, and various widths, and lengths. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 15A, a plurality of slits 555 having the same widtht and length 1 may be formed in the adhesive member 553, and theintervals d1 and d2 between the slits may be variously set depending onthe positions of the slits provided in the adhesive member 554. Slitsclose to the center of the adhesive member 554 may have a small intervald1, such that the slits are densely arranged, and slits far from thecenter may have a relatively great interval d2, such that the density ofthe slits are arranged relatively sparsely.

Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 15B, a plurality of slits 555having different widths t1 and t2 or different lengths may be formed inthe adhesive member 554. For example, narrow slits 555 a may be disposedclose to the center of the adhesive member 554, and relatively widerslits 555 b may be disposed far from the center of the adhesive member554.

Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 15C, the one or more slit 556 mayhave a very narrow width, like a fine thread shape, and a very longlength compared to the width. Some of the one or more slits 556 mayextend to the handle portion 554 a.

Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 15D, cross-shaped patterns may berepeated in the form of at least one slit 557.

Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 15E, one or more slits 557 and 558having two or more different shapes may be used in combination. Amongthe one or more slits 557 illustrated in FIG. 15E, some slits 557 mayemploy a cross-shaped pattern, and the other slits 558 may employ anopening-shaped pattern formed through punching.

Additionally, one or more slits may include various embodiments otherthan that which was described with reference to FIGS. 15A to 15E. Whenone or more slits are capable of performing a role of making themovement of the flex portion uniform when the flexible connectionmembers 551 and 552 are bent, the slits may include similar patterns,such as holes, grooves, recesses, and openings.

In the above-described embodiments, the adhesive member for maintaininga designated shape when two or more flexible connecting members arebent, and a slit structure formed therein, have been described.Hereinafter, a description will be made focusing on a slit structure formaintaining a designated shape when a multilayer flexible connectionmember is bent.

FIG. 16 is a view illustrating a flexible connection member 750 and oneor more slits 755 formed in the flexible connection member 750,according to an embodiment. FIG. 17 is a conceptual view illustrating aflexible connection member 750 and one or more slits 755 formed in theflexible connection member 750, according to an embodiment. FIG. 18A isa cross-sectional view illustrating the flexible connection member 750according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 17 and one or more slits755 formed in the flexible connection member, according to anembodiment. FIG. 18B is a cross-sectional view illustrating the flexibleconnection member 750 and one or more slits 755 and 755′ formed in theflexible connection member, according to an embodiment. Here, each ofFIGS. 18A and 18B illustrate a cross-sectional view of the flexibleconnecting member 750 according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG.17, taken in the direction of line C-C′.

The flexible connection member 750 may be formed of substantially oneflexible connection member. Referring to FIG. 16, the flexibleconnecting member 750 may be made as a single flexible connectionmember, and includes a plurality of connection ends 750 aa, 750 ab, 750ba, and 750 bb being branched off from at least one of the first housingstructure 310 and the second housing structure 320. The flexibleconnection member 750 illustrated in FIG. 16 may include a plurality ofsignal lines, and may be implemented as a multilayer circuit board inwhich a plurality of conductive layers and a plurality of insulatinglayers are alternately stacked.

Referring to FIG. 17, the flexible connection member 750 includes alongthe longitudinal direction thereof, rigid portions 750 c and 750 d fixedto a housing, a bracket assembly, or a printed circuit board. Inaddition, a flexible portion 750 e may be disposed between the rigidportions 750 c and 750 d. Here, the flex portion 750 e may be disposedin a hinge space S at least partially surrounded by a hinge structure440 and/or a hinge cover 470 when the flexible connection member 750 ismounted inside a foldable housing 420 or a foldable housing structure330.

Referring to FIGS. 18A and 18B, the flex portion 750 e of the flexibleconnection member 750 has a plurality of layered structures. Inaddition, at least one slit 755 may be formed in an outermost layer of aplurality of layered structures, for example, the uppermost layer and/orthe lowermost layer. FIG. 18A illustrates a plurality of slits 755formed in the uppermost layer of the flexible connection member 750. Asillustrated in FIG. 18B, a plurality of slits 755 may be formed in theuppermost layer of the flexible connection member 750, and a pluralityof slits 755′ may be formed in the lowermost layer as well.

The flexible connection member 750 may include, as a plurality oflayered structures, a plurality of conductive layers and a plurality ofinsulating layers. The plurality of conductive layers and the pluralityof insulating layers included in the flex portion 750 e may integrallyextend from the rigid portions 750 c and 750 d. The flex portion 750 mayinclude a first cover layer 751, a stacked structure 752 of at least oneconductive layer and at least one insulating layer, and a second coverlayer 753. Here, the stacked structure 752 of at least one conductivelayer and at least one insulating layer may be a first conductive layer,a first insulating layer, a second conductive layer, and a secondinsulating layer stacked in order. At least a portion of the flexibleconnection member 750 (e.g., the top surface of the first conductivelayer) may be visible to the outside, and may be covered by the firstcover layer 751. Similarly, the lower end of the flexible connectionmember 750 may also be covered by the second cover layer 752. By formingslits 755 in at least one of the first cover layer 751 and the secondcover layer 753, for example, by forming one or more silts in a portioncorresponding to a hinge structure (or a hinge space) in a multilayerflexible connection member, it is possible to maintain a designatedshape when the multilayer circuit board is bent. Accordingly, it ispossible to improve the service life of the flexible connection member.

One or more slits 755 may also be formed in a direction parallel to thefolding axis A-A′. In addition, the one or more slits 755 may also havevarious shapes, numbers, and various widths and lengths similar to theslits formed in an adhesive member 553.

FIG. 19 is a view illustrating a flexible connection member 950 and oneor more slits formed in the flexible connection members 951 and 952,according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 19, multilayer flexible connection member includes afirst multilayer flexible connection member 951 placed across at least aportion of a first housing structure 310 and at least a portion of asecond housing structure 320 and configured to electrically connect afirst printed circuit board 431 and a second printed circuit board 432via connection ends located at the opposite ends thereof; and a secondmultilayer flexible connection member 952 placed across at least aportion of the first housing structure 310 and at least a portion of thesecond housing structure 320 and configured to electrically connect thefirst printed circuit board 431 and the second printed circuit board 432via connection ends disposed at the opposite ends thereof.

One or more slits 955 and 956 may be formed in each of the firstmultilayer flexible connection member 951 and the second multilayerflexible connection member 952. The one or more slits 955 and 956 may beformed in at least one of the uppermost layer and the lowermost layer ofthe first multilayer flexible connection member 951, and may be formedin at least one of the uppermost layer and the lowermost layer of thesecond multilayer flexible connection member 951. The one or more slits955 and 956 may be formed in a portion of at least one of the uppermostlayer and the lowermost layer of the first multilayer flexibleconnection member 951, for example, between the rigid portions 951 c,952 c, 951 d, and 952 d.

As illustrated in FIG. 19, when a plurality of multilayer flexibleconnection members are provided, it is possible to maintain thedesignated shapes of the multilayer flexible connection members byforming one or more slits in each of the multilayer flexible connectionmembers.

In the case where a plurality of flexible connection members areprovided in a foldable housing, the method of maintaining the designatedshape using the adhesive member 553 described above with reference toFIGS. 10 to 15E, and the method of directly forming the slits in themultilayer flexible connection member described above with reference toFIGS. 16 to 18B may be applied together.

FIG. 20 is a view illustrating the state in which the designated shapeof a flexible connection member 1051 is maintained when a foldableelectronic device is unfolded, according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 20, when the adhesive member 1053 is attached to thefirst flexible connection member 1051, it can be seen that thedesignated shape of the first flexible connection member 1051 ismaintained even if the foldable electronic device is repeatedly foldedand unfolded.

Comparing FIG. 20 with FIG. 9, it can be seen that the uniformity of thedesignated shape of the first flexible connection member 1051 in theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 20 is significantly improved compared tothe embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9. For example, in the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 20, it can be seen that the designated shape of thefirst flexible connection member 1051 is not disturbed in the portioncorresponding to P1 in FIG. 9. In addition, in the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 20, it is possible to prevent or significantlyreduce friction with a structure (e.g., the hinge cover 1070) of thefoldable electronic device.

FIG. 21 is a view illustrating the state in which the designated shapesof flexible connection members 1151 and 1152 are maintained when afoldable electronic device is unfolded, according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 21, when an adhesive member 1154 is attached on thetwo different flexible connection members 1151 and 1152, the designatedshapes of the flexible connection members 1151 and 1152 are maintainedeven when the foldable electronic device is repeatedly folded andunfolded. In addition, by forming a plurality of slits 1155 in theadhesive member 1154, it is possible to further improve the uniformityof the designated shapes of the flexible connection members 1151 and1152. When FIG. 21 is compared with FIG. 9, it can be seen that theuniformity of the designated shapes of the first and second flexibleconnection members 1151 and 1152, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG.21, is significantly improved compared to the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 9. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 21, it can beseen that the designated shapes of the first and second flexibleconnection members 1151 and 1152 are not disturbed in the portioncorresponding to P1 in FIG. 9. In addition, in the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 21, it is possible to prevent or significantlyreduce friction with a structure (e.g., the hinge cover 1170) of thefoldable electronic device.

FIG. 22 is a view illustrating the state in which the designated shapeof a flexible connection member 1250 is maintained when a foldableelectronic device is unfolded, according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 22, the flexible connection member 1250 is amultilayer flexible connection member 1250. When the foldable electronicdevice is repeatedly folded and unfolded, a laminated portion of themultilayer flexible connection member 1250 may be separated and thedesignated shape may be disturbed. In order to prevent this, by formingone or more slits 1255 in at least one of the outermost layers of themultilayer flexible connection member 1250, as described above, it canbe seen that the designated shape of the multiple flexible connectionmember 1250 is maintained even when the foldable electronic device isrepeatedly folded and unfolded. For example, in the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 22, it can also be seen that the designated shape ofthe first flexible connection member 1250 is not disturbed. In addition,in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 22, it is also possible to preventor significantly reduce friction with a structure (e.g., the hinge cover1270) of the foldable electronic device.

The electronic device according to various embodiments may be one ofvarious types of electronic devices. The electronic devices may include,for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smartphone), acomputer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medicaldevice, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance. According toan embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic devices are not limitedto those described above.

It should be appreciated that various embodiments of the disclosure andthe terms used therein are not intended to limit the technologicalfeatures set forth herein to particular embodiments and include variouschanges, equivalents, or replacements for a corresponding embodiment.With regard to the description of the drawings, similar referencenumerals may be used to refer to similar or related elements. It is tobe understood that a singular form of a noun corresponding to an itemmay include one or more of the things, unless the relevant contextclearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, each of such phrases as “Aor B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one of A or B,” “A, B, orC,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “at least one of A, B, or C,” mayinclude any one of, or all possible combinations of the items enumeratedtogether in a corresponding one of the phrases. As used herein, suchterms as “1st” and “2nd,” or “first” and “second” may be used to simplydistinguish a corresponding component from another, and does not limitthe components in other aspect (e.g., importance or order). It is to beunderstood that if an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to,with or without the term “operatively” or “communicatively”, as “coupledwith,” “coupled to,” “connected with,” or “connected to” another element(e.g., a second element), it means that the element may be coupled withthe other element directly (e.g., wiredly), wirelessly, or via a thirdelement.

As used herein, the term “module” may include a unit implemented inhardware, software, or firmware, and may interchangeably be used withother terms, for example, “logic,” “logic block,” “part,” or“circuitry”. A module may be a single integral component, or a minimumunit or part thereof, adapted to perform one or more functions. Forexample, according to an embodiment, the module may be implemented in aform of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Various embodiments as set forth herein may be implemented as software(e.g., a program 140) including one or more instructions that are storedin a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 136 or external memory 138)that is readable by a machine (e.g., the electronic device 101). Forexample, a processor (e.g., the processor 120) of the machine (e.g., theelectronic device 101) may invoke at least one of the one or moreinstructions stored in the storage medium, and execute it. This allowsthe machine to be operated to perform at least one function according tothe at least one instruction invoked. The one or more instructions mayinclude a code generated by a complier or a code executable by aninterpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in theform of a non-transitory storage medium. Wherein, the term“non-transitory” simply means that the storage medium is a tangibledevice, and does not include a signal (e.g., an electromagnetic wave),but this term does not differentiate between where data issemi-permanently stored in the storage medium and where the data istemporarily stored in the storage medium.

A method according to various embodiments of the disclosure may beincluded and provided in a computer program product. The computerprogram product may be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer.The computer program product may be distributed in the form of amachine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read only memory(CD-ROM)), or be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) online viaan application store (e.g., PlayStore™), or between two user devices(e.g., smart phones) directly. If distributed online, at least part ofthe computer program product may be temporarily generated or at leasttemporarily stored in the machine-readable storage medium, such asmemory of the manufacturer's server, a server of the application store,or a relay server.

According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or aprogram) of the above-described components may include a single entityor multiple entities. According to various embodiments, one or more ofthe above-described components or operations may be omitted, or one ormore other components or operations may be added. Alternatively oradditionally, a plurality of components (e.g., modules or programs) maybe integrated into a single component. In such a case, the integratedcomponent may still perform one or more functions of each of theplurality of components in the same or similar manner as they areperformed by a corresponding one of the plurality of components beforethe integration. According to various embodiments, operations performedby the module, the program, or another component may be carried outsequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or moreof the operations may be executed in a different order or omitted, orone or more other operations may be added.

According to an embodiment, a foldable electronic device includes ahinge structure; a foldable housing including a folding area in whichthe electronic device is substantially folded about a folding axis, thefoldable housing including a first housing structure connected to thehinge structure, the first housing structure including a first surfacefacing in a first direction and a second surface facing in a seconddirection opposite the first direction, and a first printed circuitboard on which a plurality of electronic components are mounted; and asecond housing structure connected to the hinge structure, the secondhousing structure including a third surface facing in a third directionand a fourth surface facing in a fourth direction opposite the thirddirection, and a second printed circuit board on which a plurality ofelectronic components are mounted, the second housing structure beingfolded about the hinge structure relative to the first housingstructure; a flexible display disposed inside the foldable housing andextending from the first surface of the first housing structure to thethird surface of the second housing structure; a first flexibleconnection member placed across at least a portion of an inside of thefirst housing structure and at least a portion of an inside of thesecond housing structure, and configured to electrically connect thefirst printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board viaconnection ends disposed at opposite ends thereof, the first flexibleconnection member including a wire configured to transmit acommunication signal including an RF signal; a second flexibleconnection member placed across at least a portion of an inside of thefirst housing structure and at least a portion of an inside of thesecond housing structure, and configured to electrically connect thefirst printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board viaconnection ends disposed at opposite ends thereof, the first flexibleconnection member including a power wire; and an adhesive memberattached to the first flexible connection member so as to make the firstflexible connection member maintain a shape thereof constant within adesignated area while the foldable housing is being folded and unfolded.

The adhesive member may be provided on each of a top surface and abottom surface of the first flexible connection member.

The adhesive member may be attached to at least a portion of the firstflexible connection member and may include a portion extending from aportion attached to the at least a portion of the first flexibleconnection member and attached to the second flexible connection member,thereby connecting the first flexible connection member and the secondflexible connection member.

Each of the first flexible connection member and the second flexibleconnection member may include, along a longitudinal direction thereof,rigid portions to be respectively fixed to a side of the first housingstructure and a side of the second housing structure, and a flex portiondisposed between the rigid portions.

The flexible portion may be configured to be movable in a space insidethe hinge structure.

The adhesive member may be stacked on the flex portion of the firstflexible connection member and the flex portion of the second flexibleconnection member.

At least one of the opposite sides of the adhesive member may beconnected to the rigid portions of the first flexible connection memberand the second flexible connection member.

The first flexible connection member and the second flexible connectionmember may be branched off from substantially one flexible connectionmember.

The first flexible connection member or the second flexible connectionmember may include an RF wire.

The one or more slits may be formed in a direction parallel to thefolding axis.

A plurality of slits may be provided, and the plurality of slits may bedisposed to be spaced apart from each other in larger intervals as adistance from the center of the folding axis increases.

A plurality of slits may be provided, and the width of a slit locatedfar from the center of the folding axis may be larger than the width ofa slit located close to the center of the folding axis.

According to an embodiment, a foldable electronic device includes ahinge structure; a foldable housing including a folding area in whichthe electronic device is substantially folded about a folding axis, thefoldable housing including a first housing structure connected to thehinge structure, the first housing structure including a first surfacefacing in a first direction and a second surface facing in a seconddirection opposite the first direction, and a first printed circuitboard on which a plurality of electronic components are mounted; and asecond housing structure connected to the hinge structure, the secondhousing structure including a third surface facing in a third directionand a fourth surface facing in a fourth direction opposite the thirddirection, and a second printed circuit board on which a plurality ofelectronic components are mounted, the second housing structure beingconfigured to be foldable about the hinge structure relative to thefirst housing structure, wherein, in a folded state, the first surfacefaces the third surface and, in an unfolded state, the third directionis the same as the first direction; a flexible display disposed insidethe foldable housing and extending from the first surface of the firsthousing structure to the third surface of the second housing structure;and a multilayer flexible connection member placed across at least aportion of an inside of the first housing structure and at least aportion of an inside of the second housing structure, and configured toelectrically connect the first printed circuit board and the secondprinted circuit board via connection ends disposed at opposite endsthereof, wherein one or more slits are formed in a portion of themultilayer flexible connection member corresponding to the hingestructure.

The one or more slits may be formed in each of an uppermost layer and alowermost layer of the multilayer flexible connection member.

The multilayer flexible connection member may include, along thelongitudinal direction thereof, rigid portions to be respectively fixedto a side of the first housing structure and a side of the secondhousing structure, and a flex portion disposed between the rigidportions and configured to move in a space inside the hinge structure,and the one or more slits may be formed in the flex portion.

The one or more slits may be formed in a direction parallel to thefolding axis.

A plurality of slits may be provided, and the plurality of slits may bedisposed to be spaced apart from each other in larger intervals as adistance from the center of the folding axis increases.

A plurality of slits may be provided, and the plurality of slits may bedisposed in smaller densities as a distance from the center of thefolding axis increases.

A plurality of slits may be provided, and the width of a slit locatedfar from the center of the folding axis may be larger than the width ofa slit located close to the center of the folding axis.

The multilayer flexible connection member may include a first multilayerflexible connection member placed across at least a portion of an insideof the first housing structure and at least a portion of an inside ofthe second housing structure, and configured to electrically connect thefirst printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board viaconnection ends disposed at opposite ends thereof; and a secondmultilayer flexible connection member placed across at least a portionof an inside of the first housing structure and at least a portion of aninside of the second housing structure, and configured to electricallyconnect the first printed circuit board and the second printed circuitboard via connection ends disposed at opposite ends thereof. The one ormore slits may be formed in at least one of an uppermost layer and alowermost layer of the first multilayer flexible connection member, andin at least one of an uppermost layer and a lowermost layer of thesecond multilayer flexible connection member.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, it ispossible to maintain a designated shape of a bent portion of theflexible connection member within a designated area by providing theadhesive member.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, it ispossible to maintain a designated shape of a bent portion of each of theflexible connection members within a designated area by providing anadhesive member connecting at least two different flexible connectionmembers.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, it ispossible to cause the bent portion of the flexible connection member tobe bent more evenly by additionally providing one or more slits in theadhesive member.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, it ispossible to cause the bent portion of the flexible connection member tobe bent more evenly by providing one or more slits in the flexibleconnection member itself.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, it ispossible to maintain the designated shape of the bent portion of theflexible connection member by applying the adhesive member or the one ormore slits to not only one surface (e.g., the uppermost layer), but alsothe other surface (e.g., the lowermost layer) of the flexible connectionmember.

Accordingly, it is possible to improve the service life of a flexibleconnection member and a foldable electronic device including the same.

While the present disclosure has been particularly shown and describedwith reference to certain embodiments thereof, it will be understood bythose of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form anddetails may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scopeof the disclosure as defined by the appended claims and theirequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A foldable electronic device comprising: a hingestructure; a foldable housing comprising a folding area in which theelectronic device is substantially folded about a folding axis, thefoldable housing comprising: a first housing structure connected to thehinge structure, the first housing structure comprising: a first surfacefacing in a first direction and a second surface facing in a seconddirection opposite the first direction, and a first printed circuitboard on which a plurality of electronic components are mounted; and asecond housing structure connected to the hinge structure, the secondhousing structure comprising: a third surface facing in a thirddirection and a fourth surface facing in a fourth direction opposite thethird direction, and a second printed circuit board on which a pluralityof electronic components are mounted, the second housing structure beingconfigured to be foldable around the hinge structure relative the firsthousing structure; a flexible display disposed inside the foldablehousing and extending from the first surface of the first housingstructure to the third surface of the second housing structure; a firstflexible connection member placed across at least a portion of an insideof the first housing structure and at least a portion of an inside ofthe second housing structure, and configured to electrically connect thefirst printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board viaconnection ends disposed at opposite ends thereof, the first flexibleconnection member comprising a wire configured to transmit acommunication signal including a radio frequency (RF) signal; a secondflexible connection member placed across at least a portion of an insideof the first housing structure and at least a portion of an inside ofthe second housing structure, and configured to electrically connect thefirst printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board viaconnection ends disposed at opposite ends thereof, the second flexibleconnection member comprising a wire configured to transmit power; and anadhesive member attached to the first flexible connection member so asto make the first flexible connection member maintain a shape thereofconstant within a designated area while the foldable housing is beingfolded and unfolded.
 2. The foldable electronic device of claim 1,wherein the adhesive member is provided on each of a top surface and abottom surface of the first flexible connection member.
 3. The foldableelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the adhesive member is attached toat least a portion of the first flexible connection member and a portionof the adhesive member extends from the at least a portion of the firstflexible connection member and is attached to the second flexibleconnection member, thereby connecting the first flexible connectionmember and the second flexible connection member.
 4. The foldableelectronic device of claim 1, wherein each of the first flexibleconnection member and the second flexible connection member comprises,along a longitudinal direction thereof: rigid portions to berespectively fixed to a side of the first housing structure and a sideof the second housing structure, and a flex portion disposed between therigid portions.
 5. The foldable electronic device of claim 1, whereinthe flexible portion is configured to be movable in a space inside thehinge structure.
 6. The foldable electronic device of claim 5, whereinthe adhesive member is stacked on the flex portion of the first flexibleconnection member.
 7. The foldable electronic device of claim 6, whereinat least one of opposite sides of the adhesive member is connected to arigid portion of the first flexible connection member.
 8. The foldableelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the first flexible connectionmember and the second flexible connection member are branched off fromsubstantially one flexible connection member.
 9. The foldable electronicdevice of claim 1, wherein one or more slits are formed in the adhesivemember.
 10. The foldable electronic device of claim 9, wherein the slitsare formed in a direction parallel to the folding axis.
 11. The foldableelectronic device of claim 9, wherein a plurality of slits are provided,and the plurality of slits are disposed to be spaced apart from eachother in larger intervals as a distance from a center of the foldingaxis increases.
 12. The foldable electronic device of claim 9, wherein aplurality of slits are provided, and a width of a slit located far froma center of the folding axis is larger than a width of a slit locatedclose to the center of the folding axis.
 13. A foldable electronicdevice comprising: a hinge structure; a foldable housing comprising afolding area in which the electronic device is substantially foldedabout a folding axis, the foldable housing comprising: a first housingstructure connected to the hinge structure, the first housing structurecomprising: a first surface facing in a first direction and a secondsurface facing in a second direction opposite the first direction, and afirst printed circuit board on which a plurality of electroniccomponents are mounted; and a second housing structure connected to thehinge structure, the second housing structure comprising: a thirdsurface facing in a third direction and a fourth surface facing in afourth direction opposite the third direction, and a second printedcircuit board on which a plurality of electronic components are mounted,the second housing structure being configured to be foldable about thehinge structure relative the first housing structure, wherein, in afolded state, the first surface faces the third surface, and in anunfolded state, the third direction is a same as the first direction; aflexible display disposed inside the foldable housing and extending fromthe first surface of the first housing structure to the third surface ofthe second housing structure; and a multilayer flexible connectionmember placed across at least a portion of an inside of the firsthousing structure and at least a portion of an inside of the secondhousing structure, and configured to electrically connect the firstprinted circuit board and the second printed circuit board viaconnection ends disposed at opposite ends thereof, wherein one or moreslits are formed in a portion of the multilayer flexible connectionmember corresponding to the hinge structure.
 14. The foldable electronicdevice of claim 13, wherein the one or more slits are formed in each ofan uppermost layer and a lowermost layer of the multilayer flexibleconnection member.
 15. The foldable electronic device of claim 13,wherein the multilayer flexible connection member comprises, along alongitudinal direction thereof: rigid portions to be respectively fixedto a side of the first housing structure and a side of the secondhousing structure, and a flex portion disposed between the rigidportions and configured to move in a space inside the hinge structure,wherein the one or more slits are formed in the flex portion.
 16. Thefoldable electronic device of claim 13, wherein the slits are formed ina direction parallel to the folding axis.
 17. The foldable electronicdevice of claim 13, wherein a plurality of slits are provided, and theplurality of slits are disposed to be spaced apart from each other inlarger intervals as a distance from a center of the folding axisincreases.
 18. The foldable electronic device of claim 13, wherein aplurality of slits are provided, and the plurality of slits are disposedin smaller densities as a distance from a center of the folding axisincreases.
 19. The foldable electronic device of claim 13, wherein aplurality of slits are provided, and a width of a slit located far froma center of the folding axis is larger than a width of a slit locatedclose to the center of the folding axis.
 20. The foldable electronicdevice of claim 13, wherein the multilayer flexible connection membercomprises: a first multilayer flexible connection member placed acrossat least a portion of an inside of the first housing structure and atleast a portion of an inside of the second housing structure, andconfigured to electrically connect the first printed circuit board andthe second printed circuit board via connection ends disposed atopposite ends thereof, the first flexible connection member comprising awire configured to transmit a communication signal including a radiofrequency (RF) signal; and a second multilayer flexible connectionmember placed across at least a portion of an inside of the firsthousing structure and at least a portion of an inside of the secondhousing structure, and configured to electrically connect the firstprinted circuit board and the second printed circuit board viaconnection ends disposed at opposite ends thereof, the second flexibleconnection member comprising a wire configured to transmit power; andwherein the one or more slits are formed in at least one of an uppermostlayer and a lowermost layer of the first multilayer flexible connectionmember, and in at least one of an uppermost layer and a lowermost layerof the second multilayer flexible connection member.